White House blasts Boehner on 'irresponsible' debt ceiling comments

11/29/12 2:22 PM EST

White House press secretary Jay Carney said that House Speaker John Boehner's Thursday comments on the debt ceiling were "deeply irresponsible."

"Asking that a political price be paid in order for Congress to do its job to ensure that the United States of America pays its bills and does not default for the first time in its history is deeply irresponsible," Carney told reporters during the White House briefing.

"It was deeply irresponsible in the summer of 2011, and it would be deeply irresponsible if we were to see that kind of approach taken again," Carney said.

Boehner told reporters Wednesday that any debt ceiling increase should be accompanied by corresponding spending reductions elsewhere. That insistence on cuts was what led the United States into 'grand bargain' talks in 2011 that ultimately led to the current stand-off over automatic spending cuts set to kick in on January 1st.

"As I told the president a couple of weeks ago," said Boehner, "there's a lot of things I've wanted in my life, but almost all of them had a price tag attached to them." What did that mean? "I believe that any increase debt limit has to be accompanied by spending reductions that meet or exceed it."

Carney said it was Congress' duty to ensure that the United States met its obligations.

"The president absolutely expects congress to do its job," Carney said. "One of the jobs that Congress has it to make sure that the United States government pays its bill.

"As the greatest economy and greatest country on earth, we pay our bills," he added.

Carney said that any default or brinksmanship over raising the limit would be seen by the American people as the GOP's fault.

"It would be a terrible mistake," Carney said. "The harm done was done mostly to the American middle class -- we had our economy downgraded, we had consumer confidence plunge, all because of this brinksmanship that is entirely inappropriate. We hope we won't see that again."